Sounds of Love
by MelodicFlan
Summary: "L-U-K-A. I. Love. You."
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Sounds of Love

**Summary**: "L-U-K-A. I. Love. You."

_Note: Thoughts in Italics_

* * *

><p>She squinted, shielding her eyes with one hand as she peered at the bright glowing mass in the sky. Large irises of teal gazed at the fluffy white forms as they laboriously trickled in the azure atmosphere. The young girl took a deep breath; teal orbs slowly closing as her shoulders heaved slightly.<p>

_I can do this…_ She thought as she lowered her hand and formed a small fist.

Gradually, she opened her eyes and softly focused on a figure who was sitting on a bench quite a few ways away from her. Mere words could not describe the awe Miku felt each time as she gazed at the being before her. She often felt her chest tighten and her soul desire the acquaintance of the other girl. Now was one of those times, and finally she decided to take action.

Lengthy salmon colored tresses with smoothness akin to European silk adorned the other woman. She was decorated in a simple, sleeveless white dress with a tannish-emblazoned belt which hugged her waist in a protective manner. Rays of gold, shown through the cracks of the forest behind the girl, reflected onto creamy, porcelain colored skin, gifting it with a barely visible glow of ephemerality. Lithe alabaster hands were gently wrapped around the corners of a novel as refined, porcelain-white legs were placed neatly juxtaposed to each other. Indulged in the novel, a beautiful set of teal irises exactly like Miku's sparkled with anticipation and curiosity.

The young woman was reading, which was a simple way to put it. However, Miku could swear right then and there that matters were not so simple; the girl before her was plainly a fairy or some goddess on a vacation from her duties in heaven.

_Okay now…_

Miku gulped and decided to take a small step forward. The large drums of her heart reverberated loudly in her ears. The young girl could not fathom why she was so nervous. She took another step. And another. Teal pools glued to the pavement as her feet moved to her destination in an agonizingly sluggish manner. She peered up again; the distance between her and the older girl did not seem to be lessening.

_I'm just going to say 'hi,' right? _

The small girl sighed; her perception naturally gathered upon the ground once again. She took another step, fidgeting and rubbing her slender fingers together as she gently bit her lower lip.

_What's there to be nervous about? _

_Miku…come on…you decided you would finally talk to her today!_

_Yes, I'm just going to say 'hi.' _

_But what if she replies?_

Miku felt her breath caught in her throat.

_I mean wha-_

Miku's thoughts were stopped abruptly as a sweet scent of sakura blossoms tickled her sense of smell. Eyes widened as she saw she was practically a foot before the pink-haired girl.

It was her first time seeing the other woman up close. Miku already she knew was beautiful from far away, but she was stunned to see the woman's loveliness amplify immensely with their shortened distance.

_She's…so…_

Teal pools glistened in adoration as they observed the other woman. Silky salmon-pink tresses which were vivid in every strand, carefully cupped the contours of their mistress' face. Miku noticed the woman's cheeks were tinted with a soft yellow from the glowing presence of the day. Then, teal eyes lingered down to a pointy, petite nose…and down to the woman's lips, which were vibrant with color akin to freshly-picked apricots that without a doubt tasted just as succulently sweet. Finally, the tealette's eyes wandered back to ones of the same tinge. She felt herself lost in the purity of those ocean-green irises which glistened with graceful resplendency.

_Pretty…_

_Can anyone actually be this pretty?_

_But looking up close…I can tell she is a bit older than me…_

Deep inside Miku acknowledged she could be ogling at the other woman for the next days and still be intrigued. Bluish-green eyes were about to wander again to a pair of well endowed…

Suddenly, the young girl felt the presence of a certain someone staring back at her. Her soul jumped in anxiety as teal locked onto teal. The older woman had finally noticed the younger girl before her and peered up from her novel in curiosity.

Swiftly, Miku felt a patch of cherry pink forming on her cheeks as the two exchanged glances. The tealette stiffened, unable to tear her gaze away. Time seemed to slow as Miku anticipated the actions of the older woman, her jaw clenching as she swallowed nervously. She thought of a million possibilities all equating to not-so-good endings.

_Ah! Miku think of excuses! Yes…I am…currently in your bubble of private space because…because…I…. _

Miku's brow rose for a millisecond as she pondered why.

_I… I-was-magnetically-drawn-to-your…._

_Wait…no…I…wanted to be-_

The younger girl stiffened once again as she saw the older woman parted of her lips slightly as if to speak. However, parted lips came together shortly after. Instead, the older woman tilted her head at the younger girl as if to question why there was a certain stranger before her.

"!"

Miku's brain went on overdrive. Her conscience, in the form of a mini-Miku flailing her hands around, tried to rationalize the best thing to say to the other woman.

"_Um…I …" No, ahhhhh! There's EMPTY benches EVERYWHERE…_

"_Hi…want to become friends with me?" What is this? I'm not five!_

_Oh._

_My._

_God. _

_Leeks. Leeks. Leeks. Leeks._

Unable to process further information, Miku's brain decided to placate itself with the emergency button which was 'think of leeks because leeks are good.'

_Leeks. Leeks…._

For what seemed like a century, Miku continued to gawk back at the older woman until she broke out of her leek reverie. A greater blush appeared on the tealette.

_How long have I been just gawking at her? Ah…what should I say?_

_Ah…ah…I..oh my..I mean..what…wha-_

Suddenly, her body voluntarily answered in the most rational way for her. Bending her body acutely, the tealette gave an abrupt bow.

"I'm sorry! Excuse me!" Miku exclaimed as she pivoted her heels and quickly marched away from the other woman…

Yet, mere seconds later, Miku quickly turned around again and walked back furiously towards the other woman.

Their gazes met again.

Miku placed her hand on her chest as if to profoundly declare an earth-shattering statement.

"I…I! Blu..blu"

Her voice jittered as her cheeks steamed with embarrassment. She tried again.

"I-I-pu..pluwwee"

Her voice was caught again. Miku acknowledged at that moment that the human tongue was indeed very hard to grasp, and her mind wandered off to think about unworldly matters involving aliens, black holes, and divergence lines.

_What am I doing?_

Miku squeezed her eyes and placed her petite hands onto her knees. Her chest rose up as she took a deep breath. She held her breath as she waited for her emotions to calm down. Breathing out, her facial expression relaxed, and the girl stood upright once again.

The tealette firmly placed her gaze onto the older woman, who at that time seemed either amused or confused or a little bit of both.

"Please let me sit next to you." Simple words escaped her lips.

Guilelessly, the woman with pink tresses smiled and scooted over slightly as a gesture of welcome.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes or so had passed since the older girl allowed Miku to sit next to her. The air seemed stagnant for the tealette as neither of them had spoken a word since she had sat down.<p>

Miku squirmed in her seat a little, her head hung low. She twiddled her thumbs and counted the rotations as she softly dug one of her flats against the brick pavement. A tinge of pink was visible on her cheeks as she never dared to look at the other woman. She could tell the pinkette was still indulged in her novel.

Though nervous, Miku was quite content just sitting there, digging her foot and twiddling her thumbs. However, she knew this was probably her only chance to talk to the other woman.

_I finally succeeded in talking to her…I can't just let it end like this…_

Miku reminisced back to a couple of weeks ago when she first laid eyes upon the older girl. At first glance, it was just a chance meeting as Miku was walking to her cram school. However, for the next couple of days the tealette had noticed the girl always sitting there, always reading…always alone.

The tealette stopped twiddling her thumbs and digging her feet. Her hand wandered to her side as she glided her fingers over the aged wood she sat on.

Of course, it's a park so people read. However, her chest tightened whenever she saw the girl reading alone. Somehow…just somehow it didn't feel right. Sure she was reading…but at the same time, it seemed almost as if only that girl existed alone in her own bubble. Everyone else would just walk by, and the pinkette would still be reading. Miku didn't really understand this herself. It was normal for strangers to walk by strangers.

Yet, after trying to talk to the girl for two weeks and sitting on the bench with her for half an hour, Miku was beginning to understand why.

_I simply wanted to get to know her._

Miku smiled and raised her head. The sky was still emblazoned with a clean, cerulean radiance with patches of snowy puffs dancing lazily in it. Though the sun was bright it was not hot, and the girl relished in small shade the trees behind her provided. A small gust blew by, and her ears perked up to the sound of rustling leaves. She lifted her hand to guard her flowing strands and turned to avoid the wind, her sight unexpectedly landing on the other girl.

She observed in admiration once again as the rays of light reflected onto the pinkette, giving her a sparkling presence. The woman was still preoccupied with her book, barely moving except to occasionally turn another page. Miku waited for that moment again.

"Ne. What are you reading?" Miku asked innocently. She thought that was the best way to start a good conversation. She gave herself a mental nod of approval for not stuttering this time and proceeded to turn her body slightly towards the other woman.

Surprisingly, Miku did not have to ask again. It seemed the woman was aware of the girl next to her the whole time. She hesitated for a second, but lithe alabaster fingers loosened their grip on the novel. Gently, the pink-haired girl turned to meet bluish-green pools in response.

The pink-haired woman watched the younger girl pensively. The tealette blinked and looked about to blush away from the pinkette's stare. However, the younger girl kept her ground and stared back at the pinkette. The older woman felt herself smile at the girl's efforts and close her eyes momentarily. Opening her eyes again, the woman placed her novel down and searched for her brown leather satchel that was next to her. Lithe hands reached into the bag and pulled out two items.

Miku blinked in curiosity as she saw the woman pull out a cutely shaped pen which was shaped like an upright tuna and a pink, octopus-shaped notepad. She watched as the older woman wrote something down onto the notepad and gently handed it to her.

Miku hesitantly reached and took the note; her first impression focused on the beautiful handwriting.

'_It is a novel on fairytales_' the note read.

Well this was unexpected. Miku had always believed the woman was reading perhaps some medical textbooks which taught her rocket science in the appendix. The tealette looked at the novel on the woman's lap and back to the woman who was quietly watching her.

_Hmm…_

Suddenly, Miku had an idea. Reaching into her school bag, she pulled out leek-shaped mechanical pencil and wrote her response below the note. Clicking her pencil onto the paper with satisfaction, she handed back the notepad with a bright smile, teal pools sparkling innocently.

The older woman took back the octopus notepad. She had expected the younger girl to leave her alone after she had handed her the note or at least answer her verbally. The pinkette never predicted the girl to reply with a written note.

'_Do you always read fairytales?'_

It was a simple question, but it had taken back the pinkette. She looked over to the younger girl who had her pencil in hand as if ready for her next response. The older girl looked down at the note again. She peered at it thoughtfully before writing her reply and handing it to the tealette.

'_Only the good ones.'_

Miku beamed at the witty yet receptive answer and began writing back to the other girl.

_Let's see…what should I say…_

* * *

><p>Thus, started their simple exchange of notes. Miku found it strangely new and exciting to know someone this way, and she was happy to see the older girl kindly respond to her each time.<p>

As the days went on, they continued their short exchanges. Miku would wait patiently at times as the older woman was absorbed in her novel. Other times, Miku would pull out a novel of her own and start reading, peaking over every now and then to discover the older girl had written her a note. In response, Miku would then write down a reply and place back the notepad in the space between the two of them.

They both felt at ease by this style of conversation and became naturally content by each other's presence. Every now and then, Miku would try to crack a joke and would beam brightly as the older girl read the note and smiled. It warmed her heart, and she had never felt so relaxed.

They talked about many things, though mainly about novels as it seemed that was the older girl's main hobby. However, Miku wasn't afraid to occasionally speak of her own hobbies. Yet, one thing had irked the tealette. It's been a week since they've started this mutual note exchange. Nevertheless, one question had been tugging the corners of her mind.

_How can I ask for her name?_

It was her turn at the notes. Miku peered at the octopus notepad pensively and placed her pencil onto the paper and tapped for a few seconds. She bit her lip as she pondered, blinking a few times. Finally, she settled for one word in katakana and placed the notepad between the tiny space again.

The older woman glanced over, noticing the younger girl had replied. She gently picked up the notepad and read it a few times, plainly confused. She looked over to the younger girl who seemed to be reading her own novel again. The pinkette scribbled a reply onto the next page of the octopus notepad.

'_What is Miku?'_

Sensing the woman had replied, Miku picked up the notepad and wrote back this time in kanji.

It read: _'Hatsune Miku.'_

Luka realized this was the younger girl's name and knew it was her cue to give her own name back in response. She handed the notepad over to Miku this time, observing the few pages left.

'_Megurine Luka'_

The tealette gazed at the name for moments. Megurine Luka.

"Megurine…Luka."

She softly whispered Luka's name. The syllables rolled of the tip of her tongue easily. Her name was akin to a gentle melody, and Miku observed the meaning of Luka's name. The corners of her lips tugged into a warm smile as she wrote her a quick reply on a new page.

'_Hehe. Both our last names relate to music!'_

Luka read the note and noticed that indeed both their names had a character for 'sound' in them. Teal globes closed momentarily before she responded.

'_Yes, I wonder if our ancestors were musicians in the past.'_

Miku chuckled and pondered for a bit. Well, she would have to ask her parents about that. It didn't seem like anyone in her family were famous musicians. Heck, Miku only sang with her friends at karaoke. She made a mental note to ask her mom when she returned home.

'_If they are, I wonder what instruments they played. I hope it was something cool! Like…like…well I don't know but I hope they played something awesome!'_

Miku excitedly handed the notepad to Luka, happy to see this might be a long conversation. However, she stiffened when she noticed the older woman frown for a second. It turned out Miku had used up the last page of their exchange notepad.

The tealette waved her hands nervously.

"Ah-ah! I'm so sorry. I was so excited I forgot it was the last page! Wait a second-"

The younger girl quickly turned and rummaged through her school bag. She looked for something to write on. After moments of searching, she was frustrated to discover she brought nothing but her textbooks, a novel, and a pencil that day. Teal globes swiftly glanced to Luka, anxious by the facial expression of the older girl.

Miku didn't want to break their fun conversation game. She knew by now Luka was somewhat shy, and this was their comfortable way to speak with each other.

"I'm sorry…I don't have anything for us to write on…" The tealette sighed dejectedly and peered up at Luka.

For some reason, the older girl had a mixed expression on her face. It was hard to decipher. Miku was not sure what it meant. However, the pinkette clearly had a troubled countenance.

_Was the notepad a memorial from someone?_

Luka glanced at the younger girl, who seemed to frown in confusion by her appearance. The pinkette made a small fist. She wasn't sure what to do next. There's nothing else to write on. However, they both held the sentiment to continue the conversation. Ending it here would be a pity…but…She glanced at Miku again, who tilted her head at her in confusion. Her small brows furrowed, perplexed by the situation, and her teal globes a tad duller than before. Luka saw the younger girl biting her lip as if wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

Luka smiled gently at Miku, yet the younger girl noticed a miniscule amount of sadness in the pinkette's bluish-green orbs. She watched as the older girl tucked away her pen and notepad. Then, Luka turned back to Miku and shifted her position to the younger girl. Sensing no hostility, Miku anticipated for their conversation to continue. Yet, it never happened.

At first she was perplexed, confused. However, Miku's eyes slowly widened, her breath hitched, and body stiffened.

Luka's arms slowly rose and with an air of hidden sorrow, the pinkette smiled lightly as she slowly traced out a few gestures in the atmosphere. Her slender digits waltzed in the air as she tried to clearly express her feelings to the younger girl before her. She wanted to glance away from the younger girl, but she resolutely kept her gaze on Miku.

Miku realized the truth.

All these times, it was not just a simple and fun conversation game. It was not a refreshing way to start a new friendship nor was it anything Miku thought of it to be.

Luka…Luka was really trying to communicate with Miku…in a way for Miku to best understand her. Now Miku understood why Luka would seem hesitant at times, or why she seemed so shy. She now saw why Luka always held a tinge of sadness underneath those teal globes of elegance and perfection.

Miku's chest tightened as the truth was exposed.

_Luka…Luka cannot speak…_

* * *

><p><strong>Note<strong>: Katakana and Kanji are writing systems in Japan. Basically, Miku had written her name in Katakana which basically had no meaning. By writing her name again in kanji Luka could tell Miku had written her a name and could also decipher the meaning of her name based on the Kanji.

**A/N**: Hopefully you all enjoy this story thus far. I haven't written for a long time, so I apologize for the errors.

Besides that, I'm actually curious to see how many of you thought this was going to be a kinky story, hm.

**P.S**. : Might be rated M later for further trolling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note**: I didn't want to post this the first chapter due to possible spoilers, but this was my initial spark for the fanfic.[http:/ youtu. be /QyB_U9vn6Wk]

**Suggested Songs (I wrote the chapter listening to them)**:  
>Yakusoku by Megurine Luka. It's easy to find the wrong song for this one, so here's the link [http: youtu. be/ RDQFIOnnOnc]  
>and Snow Ash by Megurine Luka<p>

**Thanks to VerbalEssence and MaidensTears, my Vindictus guild-slaves, this chapter did not turn into a cliché mesh of stupidity.**

* * *

><p>Miku sighed and rapped her pen on her notebook at a steady rhythm. Teal eyes peered off to the side and glanced at the other students sitting in the rows below her. Momentarily, she focused her vision at the possible flying specks of dust before settling her gaze towards her pacing cram teacher, Kiyoteru, who was verbosely reciting a few physics laws.<p>

"…And from the momentum conserved in this object…"

Usually, Miku would be excited for his lectures, but she saw herself expel a heavy sigh every couple of seconds as she scribbled random doodles in her notes due to boredom. It's not like she didn't like the material…she just didn't feel like it.

"…Newton described…"

Teal pupils veered across the room towards the windows. The lecture hall was a few stories high, but Miku could see nothing but the bellies of towering buildings. She angled her head horizontally in an attempt to peer at the natural blue ceiling but was disheartened by the fruitless result. She sighed once again and rested her cheek on the palm of a propped up elbow.

_If I had sat by the window, I would've been able to see it…_

Another puff of air was expelled from the young girl, who stopped her pen-drumming and expertly maneuvered her pen around her fingers twice. Part of her was still paying attention to the lecture, and she paused momentarily to draw a stick figure falling off a cliff.

Lifting her head, Miku examined the projector screen as Kiyoteru jotted down some important terms and formulas. Miku copied the material to her notes neatly and repeated the action of perking her head every now and then to intake new information.

"Okay guys, now for this stick figure, let's name the forces that act upon it," Kiyoteru suggested and began drawing arrows around the stick figure.

Subconsciously, sea-green irises widened slightly as Miku watched Kiyoteru draw various arcs and circles onto the projector. After observing briefly, her pen trailed along the same paths, drawing the same arcs and arrows in her notes.

Kiyoteru drew another arc; Miku tried to follow suit. However, this time her pen paused. Clenching her jaw, Miku willed her hand to continue sketching but found her body refusing to move. The tealette stared wordlessly at the half drawn figure on her notes. Moments later, she lowered her head, teal bangs falling over her features, casting dark shadows upon her demeanor. Her brows furrowed in frustration, and teal eyes reflected the dull glimmer of blue ink on the paper. Tightening her grip on her pen, her mind unwillingly replayed a scene from two days ago.

* * *

><p>Teal orbs of the younger girl gazed in a stupor as lithe alabaster fingers traveled eloquently in the atmosphere. At times, those slender digits rested momentarily on silky pink stresses, and at other times, they rested on top of fleshy succulent parted lips. Guided by the smooth movement of her arms, Luka was speaking silently to the younger girl.<p>

The tealette was mesmerized as mere moments seemingly lingered for an eternity. In less than a minute, Luka had conveyed her reply to the other girl. Even though Miku could not understand her actions, she knew Luka responded to her question. She watched as the pinkette lifted her arm and wrapped it around her own body. Teal orbs of the older girl were at first momentarily drawn to the ground before they focused onto the younger girl.

Luka was waiting.

Miku's chest tightened, uncertain of what to do. She remained silent as the air grew stagnant. She took steady breaths through her parted lips, her body slowly heaving up and down in a stable rhythm. Despite her still exterior demeanor, she was mentally distraught. Swarmed with shock and confusion, her thoughts swam aimlessly.

_Why didn't I see it before? Luka...she...can't speak..._

She accidentally locked glances with the pinkette and quickly directed her gaze away.

_How...w-what should I...right now…w-what am I…_

Miku looked back at Luka, who was still patiently waiting for her. Her steady breathing quickened. She shifted her weight, her hands slightly crumbling the folds on her skirt.

The younger girl parted her lips but nothing came out. Her mouth hanged open for a second before she closed it again. She swallowed, and her breathing began to tremble irregularly. Once again, Miku tried to utter a sound but found herself speechless; the words were lounged in her throat. The tealette's mind dived for answers; yet, by each passing second, she found herself trapped further in the depths of the stagnant pressure. Slowly, she was drowning under the stress.

_Why can't I say anything? I need to tell Luka...words...the words..._

Miku begged herself to speak, to reply to Luka, but was unable to. She could only stare back with furrowed eyebrows. The younger girl clenched her fist and tore her gaze away from the older girl once again to peer at the pavement. Miku heard her heart reverberating loudly in her eardrums. She gripped onto her skirt with added force; she wanted to run away. She drew in a breath, swallowing a gulp of tense air. However, the tealette still felt out of breath; her body felt heavy. She panicked; she was going to drown. Her mind wildly splashed around for solutions.

Teal orbs still attached to the ground, Miku chuckled nervously. Her breathing hitched while she timidly rubbed off the sweat on her palms with her skirt.

"Haha...um..uh...it's-it's..I should g-go."

_Wait…what am I…_

Miku gave a fake glance at her thin leather wristwatch. She chuckled timidly again, not once looking at Luka; she didn't want to see the older girl's expression. Small fingers trembled as they trailed towards her school bag; Miku gave it a clumsy yank as she willed her legs to stand up from the bench.

Unable to blink, Miku felt her eyes watering minutely; her gaze stagnantly locked onto the pavement. With both hands, she grabbed onto her schoolbag.

Turning her body towards the older woman, she concluded with words dipped in diffidence.

"Um…I-I forgot u-uh cram school started at a d-different time today, heh…haha."

Miku tried her best to generate a bright smile. Her eyes rose up to the lithe coral white hands of the older girl. She saw they were tightly clasped together...almost...almost as if in a prayer.

Teal orbs widening, Miku quickly fastened the front latch on her bag with slightly shaking digits.

"Well...um..." Her rational mind dragged on the last syllable in an attempt to stop her next action.

_I shouldn't run away…what am I doing? No, I can't do this…I shouldn't…but I can't…I don't know what to say to her…_

Miku made a curt bow, her nails digging into her palms as her fingers curled around leather handle of her bag. She blinked, biting her lips.

_I can't do this! It's not right! Why won't my body listen?_

The young girl finished her words in a whisper.

"...bye..."

She strained to appear normal as she propped herself upright. However, as she picked up her foot, the younger girl found it hard to turn around. After a moment's hesitation, Miku steeled her shaking revolve and attempted again and successfully swiveled her heels. As footfalls began to touch the pavement and resound in the ears of the young women, Miku refused to look behind her and held a constant fear that Luka was watching her every step as she ran away. Biting her lips continuously, teal orbs squeezed shut as the young girl knew she had performed an act she would regret for the rest of her life.

_It hurts…_

* * *

><p>"Okay guys, review what we covered today. Next class will be of a short quiz on today's material."<p>

Miku was shook out of her stupor as her ears perked up to the sound of rushing students gathering their bags and shuffling about their seats. Her hand slipped and her pen drew a thick line across the page. Mumbling in frustration under her breath Miku folded her notebook and began placing her things inside her bag.

"Yo, Miku." A familiar feminine voice called out.

"Hey, Miku." Likewise, a familiar masculine voice greeted.

The tealette looked up and saw her two childhood friends waving at her. The two were twins, and Miku saw as they had adorned similar fashion that day. Both sported a black dress-shirt and skinny yellow tie, which was accompanied by a pair of khaki slacks/skirt. Pushing her current thoughts away, she smiled joyfully and answered as she looked at the two.

"Hiya, Rin-chan, Len-kun."

However, her warm welcome was not met with a similar fervor. The older twin wrinkled her nose a bit before folding her arms across her chest, while the younger one gave a wry smile at the tealette and rubbed the back of his blonde locks sheepishly. Miku questioned their expressions as she leveraged her hands on the desk and slowly stood up from her seat.

"W-what?" Miku turned her body towards them and inquired quizzically.

She stood nervously as Rin tilted her body towards her and peered at her closely. The tealette felt her friend's breath tickle the bridge of her nose and immediately felt the need to distance herself away from the interrogating blonde. Miku leaned her back away but felt Rin following her small tilt.

"Hmm…" Sky-blue orbs questioned the tealette.

At their proximity, Rin observed the dark bags which housed those teal eyes and watched as they began to swirl with a faint touch of fear and confusion. With the click of a tongue, firm words escaped the lips of the blonde.

"You…what's wrong?"

Miku jumped slightly at the question and took a step back. She felt her breath caught in the back of her throat. "N-Nothing's wrong. Why? What's up, haha?" Miku chuckled.

Len took a step forward as he shoved his hands in his slacks and also tilted his body faintly forward as he replied matter-of-factly. "Miku, you know, you've been acting strange these days."

Teal orbs were hesitant for a moment. Her brain trailed off to the event two days ago once again, and felt her heart struck with a pang of guilt and betrayal. Quickly, she willed herself to at least act normal in front of her friends. The tealette rubbed the back of her head and laughed uneasily.

"Haha, really?"

_Just a couple of days ago…when Luka…I_

Part of her thoughts began to answer Len's inquiry. Her emotions felt a false sense of relief as she mentally poured out her secret to the twins. Yet, there was an invisible wall hidden behind her verbal words and physical actions, which separated what she wanted to act and say. Another part of Miku continued her performance.

The tealette continued her uneasy laughter for a long time before her shoulders slumped. Rin gave her a raised eyebrow, and Len just stared at her wordlessly. Miku peered off to the side, bouncing her finger tips against each other. Her lips quivered and her muscles stiffened.

"Well…?" Rin repeated; a hint of impatience attached to her voice.

"Well…um…" Miku tasted the words on the tip of her tongue.

_I must've hurt her feelings really badly…_

She remembered again, in painstaking detail what she had done to Luka. Miku desperately searched the corners of her mind for excuses, lies, or anything to soothe her wrongdoings. Yet, she found nothing—nothing at all.

_…"Hurt" would be the nicer way to put it..._

Deeply distraught and agitated by the flashback, the regret grew within her. Again, the tealette was pulled into another memory, one where for the past nights she's had little to zero sleep. The events had haunted her, and her solution to passing her nightly hours was to curl up into a ball and hide under the covers, all the while shivering slightly under the coldness of the emotions she remembered and the frigidness of the dark.

Miku frantically thought of many excuses throughout these past couple of days. Yet, everything she thought of resembled Swiss cheese—full of glaring holes and chipping inconsistencies. And as each justification came crumbling down, Miku was forced to acknowledge that even if what Luka had revealed to her was shocking, what she did was the last thing on the list of acceptable responses.

Len glimpsed at her mysteriously but patiently waited for her to finish. The young boy saw something was wrong but did not have the courage to pry. Rin, on the other hand, started tapping her foot loudly on the floor. She wanted to know, and what she wanted, she would soon get, even if she had to buy truth serum vials from the Black Market and force it down the tealette's throat.

_And all I did was run away…I…I…_

Miku swallowed.

_Wonder what was my velocity at that time…_

Miku was able to cut her thoughts with the help of the little remnants she actually paid attention to from the last physics lesson. She was able to gather her bearings again, and thus, peered at the twins with a swift answer generated at her lips.

"I…I'm…I'm just a bit nervous about the next quiz." Miku blatantly lied.

She surprised even herself as she was able to fib under Rin's ever intimidating gaze, but mentally whacked herself once she analyzed her tiny white lie. The tealette pondered sarcastically.

_... nervous about the quiz? What a wonderful answer after being silent for God knows how long, Hatsune Miku._

Len expelled an air of disappointment and was about to voice his protest, but his demeanor turned pale as he noticed the rumbling body of his twin sister. Softly, he stepped over to the blonde and tapped on Rin's shoulder faintly, testing the waters of his unstable sibling.

"Um…Nee-san?" Len gulped.

He placed his hand on his sister's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, hoping to quench the growing aura of anger emitting from the blonde's small body. The young boy knew something bad was going to happen; his five senses told him to run and possibly bring Miku with him if he had the chance.

On the other side, even the tealette could sense the growing danger in her locale, and the back of her hairs stood up in warning as she felt a cold shiver traverse down her back. Somewhere, her soul told her this was not going to end well.

Sky-blue pools catching the starting movements of his older sibling, Len used his lightning quick reflexes and anchored his elbows under his sister's arms before she could successfully launch herself at Miku. The tealette jumped back with a light squeak; her slender, porcelain hand went to tightly grasp the left side of her chest, where she highly suspected was missing her heart. Greenish-blue pools dashed towards the ground subconsciously, looking for the fleshy pounding object.

"Are you seriously trying to trick us with that lie? Oh god, Miku, you could've said your pet died and I would've believed that." Rin threw her arms in the air, thus breaking out of Len's grasp. The blonde girl stomped forward towards Miku.

"Hell, we all know you don't even have a pet. But!" Rin pointed a shaking finger at the tealette who gulped nervously. She had a strong desire to search for that imaginary missing heart now. The young blonde railed on.

"But you! Did you seriously think you could lie to us? How long have we known you, Miku?"

Miku meekly replied, "Ever…since—"

"Ever since we were friggin' babies, man!" Rin made out a gesture of a small round object.

"We were like the size of pennies or something. We're literally joined at the hip. Like trios for crying out loud and you try to lie to us?" The female blonde flashed a swift glare at her twin counterpart.

Len quickly nodded. "Yes, we're joined at the hip. Joined at the hip alright."

The young boy tittered timidly, deciding it was safer to play along. However, his expression rapidly changed to one that of horror as he saw his sister accordingly point at her hips and faintly swung them, as a gesture for the young boy to stand beside her so they could "smack" hips together as a demonstration.

Lips pale, Len uneasily shifted his position next to Rin and the two quickly bumped their hips like All-Star quarterbacks. The young boy teetered off to the side from the force and literally tripped, yelping as he did so. It would've been a very amusing situation if Rin's was not staring at Miku with 100% seriousness.

"I…I…um…I…" Miku helplessly repeated her words like a broken recorder. Her eyes trailed off to the young boy who was now getting up, rubbing the back of his bottom with a pained look on his face. However, her gaze soon left the boy, and she closed her eyes momentarily.

_I…am ashamed of what I did…Just…What normal person…what person? How…what…I wasn't even raised to be so closed minded...Why wasn't I open about the situation? Why did I…why? I don't understand! Someone, anyone tell me what got into me! _

Rin stuck out her finger and jabbed it softly at the tealette's petite nose, causing it to compress and wrinkle a bit, thus breaking the tealette out of her reverie.

"So…are you going to tell us now?"

Defeated, she recognized it was no use hiding things from her best friends. The tealette crouched over and slumped into her seat. She twiddled her thumbs as she decided that perhaps advice from the twins would be the best. Miku knew she was going through self-torment by repeating that flashback many times, and she wasn't going to solve anything by doing so either.

"I…you see…a few weeks ago…no, um, a few months ago I saw this…um, young woman at the park."

Miku began slowly as the twins pulled up chairs next to the young tealette. She checked the demeanors of the twins and decided for a quick clarification.

"Um, you know that park near the cram school. Yeah, that one."

She saw Len's nod and found it a signal to continue.

"Anyways, I got to t-talk to her…um but…" Her voice trailed off.

_Wait, why would you go talking to strangers?_

Rin voiced in her head but kept her mouth shut; she knew everything would be ruined if she interrupted the young girl's monologue.

Len asked though, "So how long ago was this?"

Startled the young girl broke out of her reverie and stuttered.

"Um…o-oh! A couple of weeks ago… uh… uh where was I?"

Teal orbs were lost as the tealette tried to remember where she was in her story. Rin glared at Len who gulped and swiftly flashed an apologetic face. The young boy decided to keep quiet throughout the rest of the conversation.

"Um… well…anyways, I think we kinda maybe…became acquaintances…but then… then…" The young girl paused. A certain tapping began to resound in her ears but she ignored it.

"Er..." She tried to continue. Miku grasped onto her skirt and darted her eyes around as her mind fumbled for continuity. The tapping grew louder.

"Well…I-" The young girl choked on her words. The tapping grew into stomps but was soon replaced by Rin's sudden outburst.

"Oh, for the love of god, just spit it out already!" Rin screamed, standing up from her seat; her patience toppled over.

She literally wished to pull out every strand of her hair. The young blonde was extremely annoyed by her friend's recent display of timidity. This was not the tealette she knew. Rin flashed a glower at the tealette, commanding her to answer.

Scared, Miku meekly whispered, "I-I learned her secret…"

Immediately, greenish-blue orbs were dulled by returning emotions of sorrow and guilt. However, she resumed.

"A-A few days ago, I-I l-learned her secret…um…" She swallowed unable to finish.

The young blonde sat back down and butted in,

"Don't tell me. You just upped and ran off, didn't you?" Sky blue orbs peered at her friend's, and she saw Miku's head bob shamefully in response.

Rin placed her hand on her forehead as she sighed. "Well, we all know you don't last well under pressure."

She saw the young girl squirming uncomfortably in her seat and sighed again.

"And?" The young blonde asked, "So, mind telling us what you ran away from?"

Miku glanced at her and attempted to answer without stuttering.

"I ran after…after… after… I…found um...She… she…Luka…oh her name's Luka." The young tealette excitedly pointed out.

"Okay, enough about that. Tell me why." Rin pushed away her tangent and forced her to continue.

"I… I …" Miku tried.

Deciding this was a nice time to come into the discussion, Len spoke calmly, "It's okay. Take your time. Deep breaths, Miku. Deep breaths."

However, Rin waved it off. "To hell with that. Look, Miku you're never going get over this if you don't tell us."

_I know! But...I don't even know why it's so hard to say! I mean…what Luka…what she told me… I…found…_

The tealette decided to pour out those thoughts.

"I…I-found out she couldn't speak!" Miku finished as she squeezed her eyes shut,

Unknowing how to respond, the twins took a moment to absorb the info. The young blonde took in a deep breath as she straightened out her thoughts, flipping loose strands behind her ear. Rin paused for a moment, as if in deep contemplation.

Rin spun her finger around the air and whirled it a bit. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a tone of authority that lacked logical tact.

"Okay, so you're telling me you stalked this girl for like a couple of months only to find out she's mute. And not only that, you ran away right when you learned she was mute?" Rin summed up quickly, crossing her legs over in her seat.

Miku twitched at the mute comment but was silent. She only nodded, glancing at the ground.

"Nee-san, I don't think 'stalked' is the right word…plus 'mute' is kind of harsh…" Len interjected.

Rin waved the protest away with a hand. "Oh shush. Miku literally went on a stake out. For **two **darn months. That's plainly stalking. And second, I'm only speaking the truth." Rin curtly retorted.

_Okay, I did not stalk her! I...I...it was like a friendly watching of a potential...potential..._

Miku squirmed, her brows furrowing, unable to justify her apparent stalker tendencies.

Len sighed and shifted in his seat. With his right hand he yanked on one of his bangs and watched it bounce back to its original position. Rin watched Miku's distress and sighed more.

Rin stood up and placed her hands on her hips, and confidently pointed out. "Well, it's simple then!"

Miku perked up to the happy blonde and gazed at her quizzically. She didn't know what was so simple and could not define any part of her situation as simple.

The blonde girl replaced her tone with a hint of seriousness.

"It's simpler than you're thinking this, Miku. I don't know how close you are to this girl, and I wasn't there to see this thing happen. But all you have to do is to go and fix it."

"…fix it?" Miku repeated cautiously.

Rin confidently pounded on her chest as a subliminal attempt to encourage the tealette.

"Yeah, just go up to her and bam!"

The blonde knelt down, placing her hands on Miku's shoulders.

She finished her words sincerely. "And then tell her you're sorry."

"…Sorry…" Miku repeated the word and tasted it in her mind.

Miku swallowed at the request and peered towards Len helplessly expecting a different reply from the young male.

Len agreed with his sister. "Miku, I also think it's best for you to go apologize."

Miku rubbed her fingers and bit her lip again. She shifted nervously in her seat as a pained expression returned to her.

"B-but I ran away. I mean I-I didn't know what to do. I…" Miku felt a pang in her chest as she continued, "I didn't want to act all giddy and just…just be like 'oh you can't speak? That's okay!'"

She watched the twin's expression; the twins waited patiently this time for Miku to continue.

"I mean running away was the last thing I should've done. But…but, " Miku bit her lip again. "But…I didn't know what to do…"

Len caringly pushed. "You weren't scared of her or disgusted by her, were you? You didn't look down-"

Teal orbs widened, and the young girl shook her head and hands furiously. "No-no-no! Never! I was never thinking of something like that! I…" The young girl brought her arms down and clenched her fists as the realization hit her.

_I-I never thought about this…but Luka…what if she thought I..._

Gradually, the tealette's face was flushed with red. The twins watched as Miku struggled with her inner turmoil.

_What if she thought I hated her?_

"Uh, Miku…?" The twins asked simultaneously, confused as to why the tealette never finished her sentence.

Miku squeezed her eyes shut and chewed on her lip.

_No, what I'm afraid of is..._

_If she hated me..._

The young girl considered Luka's life for the first time. She did not know if Luka was born mute or became mute because of certain circumstances, but nevertheless, how did Luka feel? Did she have anyone supporting her? She always seemed so quiet, reading her book at the park. Was it her hobby to read books or was it just something she did every day?

_Did she like talking with me?_

Miku stood up abruptly from her seat and grabbed her bag and ran towards the door. She paused to turn her head around.

"Sorry! I-I need to go!" Miku shouted as she ran out of the lecture hall, leaving the stunned Kagamine twins. However, moments later a rumbling could be heard as Miku quickly ran back to the room.

"Thanks! Rin-chan! Len-kun! Thank you, guys!" Miku waved as she stormed off again.

Rin huffed and crossed her arms. "Seriously, this girl."

"Right. This girl, haha." Len smiled.

* * *

><p>Orange hues replaced the sky-blue ceiling as wide, purple streaks echoed across the atmosphere. The astral roof was further decorated by reddish cloud clusters floating by aimlessly, while the huge ball of fire dipped its bottom into the vanishing horizon.<p>

Miku peered at her watch and guarded an incoming gust of wind with her bag as she jogged to the park. She had spent a lot of time talking with Rin and Len, but cram school ended early that day. She noted in relief as the clock was still around six.

Arriving at the park, Miku gained new fervor and sped up, rushing through small paths and passing other pedestrians as she made her way to that special bench. On her way, teal pools veered around desperately, hoping to catch a sight of the pinkette. Miku had placed her bets on the bench as she continued her jog to that area, footfalls pounding heavily against the pavement as her bag swung wildly beside her.

Breathing heavily, Miku slowed to a stop, placing her hands on her knees. She huffed and squinted in the distance towards the bench.

_Please be there…_

Teal orbs searched and blinked. She rubbed her eyes a few times, but the results were the same. Her heart sunk, realizing that the pinkette was nowhere to be seen. Yet, momentarily, a splash of pink caught the corner of her eye. Immediately, Miku peered at the source and noticed a tall pink haired figure walking in the distance.

Her legs immediately dashed towards the figure.

"Luka-san!" Miku called out a few meters away. However, the pink-haired girl paid no mind to her. Miku decided with action over words. Upon reaching the taller girl, the tealette pulled onto the girl's arm.

Miku was expecting some sort of physical response but never guessed a startled scream. Teal orbs widened as taller girl turned around. Besides the pink hair and the height, this girl looked nothing like Luka. The pink haired stranger stepped away defensively. Miku immediately bowed a few times, and repeated "I'm so sorry," many times over until the stranger seemed satisfied and walked off with an angry air.

Miku continued her search around the big park. She rounded the park a good few times before she returned to the bench. Huffing on her knees, she held onto her bag with one hand and her other was placed on her chest. Never had she ran so much. Nevertheless, teal orbs desperately searched, but she did not find the pinkette. It was already eight and the park lights flickered on in various areas. The young girl knew it was late and any more searching was hopeless. With one hand she pulled out a small handkerchief, wiping her forehead.

_I'll just have to go home today…_

She tightly gripped the small cloth in her hand.

_But I won't give up… I must tell her…_

For the next days, before and after cram school, Miku often sat at the bench with a book in hand or at times she would do her homework, finally leaving only when the sun went down. She was thankful that summer vacation had recently begun or else she wouldn't have been able to attend school, cram school, and then go to the park. Miku also noted the homework involved with school and shivered slightly.

However, it's been two weeks, and soon summer vacation would end. Time was running out, and apprehension swirled in teal orbs. The young girl had ran around the park multiple times and finally resorted to waiting on the bench. Miku was left with no choice but to wait. The tealette swallowed, and taking a deep breath, she resumed reading her novel.

_I need to tell Luka I'm sorry…_

* * *

><p>Salmon pink streaks fluttered against the soft waves of gust. Tucking loose silky strands behind one ear, her ears perked up to the echoes of swaying trees and tumbling leaves. A lithe porcelain hand was placed lightly against the barky trunk of a strong tree. Teal orbs gazed into the distance, silently watching a small figure.<p>

For the first time, the pinkette noted the features of the young girl. Turquoise orbs glanced at satiny, long, teal stresses as they veered out into two long ponytails. She focused onto the small features of the tealette, noticing her thin eyebrows and focused orbs which held the same color as hers. Tiny, adolescent lips emblazoned in peach adorned the smaller girl. All this was accompanied by a floral white complexion.

The pinkette watched as the young girl was absorbed in a novel.

For two weeks now she had noticed Miku sitting at 'her' bench. Sentimental feelings had grown ever since she sat on that very bench a year ago and soon Luka claimed it as hers. Thus, the pinkette naturally felt territorial when she saw Miku there, and for the first few days a tinge of anger would color her cheeks. Yet, that slowly went away as she noticed something peculiar.

At times the young girl would tear her eyes away from her homework or novel and peer up nervously, swinging her head around the vicinity as if looking for something. Sometimes, the young girl would even get up and chase after pink-haired strangers. It was at those times, Luka realized that Miku was sitting there in order to talk to her once again.

She had mixed feelings towards the young tealette. At first, she was wary of the young girl's sudden proposal to sit next to her. She pondered the intentions of the young girl, but soon found that Miku had genuinely just wished to talk to her. And soon, Luka found herself frequently amused by the young girl's ramblings and adorable gestures whenever the young girl caught herself in an embarrassing situation.

However, after…after she revealed some things, she wasn't so sure anymore. Of course it was granted for people to sometimes stay away from her. Normal people wouldn't know how to interact with her, and even if they attempted to, they often wore a guarded stance and spoke softly as if treading on thin ice. It was like they thought one misled word would leave the pinkette bawling on the floor.

She had enjoyed her conversations with the young tealette and wished to resume them. But Luka feared that Miku would be one of those guarded people. She didn't want to be treated any differently because of who she is or what she lacked. However, she had a strong urge to believe in Miku and to continue their idle conversations in tranquil fervor.

Yet, overall, Luka could not bear to see the young girl walk away from her again. Before, she had always read alone; albeit she had friends, they were more like acquaintances, so she was often left unaccompanied on her free time. Thus, the feelings of isolation never bothered her. Yet, when Miku walked away what affected Luka the most was not resentment, pain, or sadness. It was fear. Luka feared she would be alone once again.

Though they had very simple interactions, Luka had treasured every moment.

She softly rubbed the rough bark of the tree as she peered at the younger girl. She grasped onto her chest, tugging the fragile fabric of her white camisole top. Stepping out of the shadows she was hiding in, she slowly made her way towards the tealette.

Silent footfalls pattered against the pavement as the older girl strode towards wooden bench. Anxiously, she rubbed the flesh of her thumbs against her fingers as she continued her stride.

She was walking, but Luka did not know what to do when she reached the girl. She held onto her tawny leather satchel, grasping the area where her notepad would be. In any case, she had a way to communicate with Miku. But how would she go about it?

* * *

><p>Idling through her novel, Miku sighed as she noted out of the corner of her eye the settling sun and knew it was time to call it a day again. Slowly, she turned the page, but paused and turned back the page to reread some passages. She made a habit of rereading the same page for up to an hour now; her concentration was focused on other things.<p>

Suddenly, a flash of pink crossed her vision. However, she dismissed it this time. Miku firmly believed there was no way the pinkette would show up this late. The sun was setting, and there was no reader who would come to the park only to enjoy their novel for thirty so minutes. Moreover, she did not wish to be crushed by a false hope once again.

Yet, the tealette continued to feel the presence of someone near her. And she waited, apprehension swirling in teal orbs as her lips quivered nervously. Her cheeks were flushed faintly with unease, and she held tightly onto her novel, turning her knuckles white.

Finally, she felt a presence before her. She swallowed, uncertain if she should look up. Partly, she was hopeful, but she did not wish to be disheartened by the possibility of the presence being just a stranger. However, moments later, Miku gradually picked up the scent of soft Sakura blossoms.

Immediately, Miku recognized the identity of the presence. It was Luka. Teal instantly locked onto teal, and Miku gripped onto her novel with added force. At last, Luka was before her once more.

_L-Luka..._

Initially, she noted a faint blush across the older girl's face, but she could only gape in awe. The tealette observed as the older defensively wrapped an arm around herself, while the other timidly held onto her tawny leather bag.

Teal orbs observed the soft glow cast onto the older girl by the fainting rays of sunlight. An orange glimmer reflected onto the older girl's clothing and imparted a pink hue to the white camisole she was clad in. Even the dark shadows, which slowly crept in from the signaling night, enhanced Luka's features, lengthening and slimming the girl's legs with its faint black illusions.

Miku could only continue to gawk at the other woman. Finally, she had the chance to talk to her again. For weeks she knew what she had to say to the girl, and she had practiced many times how to say it. Even when she was reading a novel, her mind drifted towards an intense rehearsal of what to do, and even when she was doing homework, on the side, she would jot down phrases that would be good for starting conversations.

Though, when it came down to it, not a single word left her lips. Miku continued to stare at the other woman.

Luka stood uncomfortably before the younger girl. Her breath slightly hitched as she exchanged glances with Miku. A soft blush had adorned her cheeks as she was uncertain what to do. Surely, she had made her way there, but her mind blanked the minute Miku had noticed her. She wrapped her arm around her body closer, faintly grasping at the flesh of her other arm.

Luka directed her gaze away. She was clueless on how to act. Her mind ran quickly through a few possible options.

_Should I pull out my notepad? But what should I write to her... Other than this notepad...what can I even do...?_

Overwhelmed by her own thoughts, Luka slowly turned her heels and started walking away. She decided to let her body carry her away from the stress for now. It was better to come back at a later time when she had chosen a right course of actions. Her mind agreed with this rational, yet a feeling tugged the corners of her thoughts.

_Miku would always be here…right?_

She shook away her suspicions and continued to walk. However, her footfalls were minutely slow, and she had merely taken a couple of small steps before she paused again.

Spotting the pinkette leaving, Miku's mind drew into panic. Who knew when Luka would appear before her again? Her muscles tensed at the thought, and she spoke before her mind questioned any further. Yet, none of her spoken words were practiced, and the young girl found herself speaking earnestly from her heart.

"I…I always enjoyed our conversations." Miku voiced loudly, hoping to stop the leaving girl. Miku peered at her back and wished earnestly. Thankfully, after a moment's consideration, Luka hesitantly stopped in her tracks. Luka desired to hear what the tealette had to say.

Sensing she had the other girl's attention, Miku began.

"You see…about a couple months ago, my parents enrolled me to a cram school. On my first day, I…I was having mixed feelings of attending, so I decided to take a detour on the way."

Miku lips weakly tugged into a thin smile as she reminisced.

"That's how I found out about this park. Haha…you see I'm not much of a nature person, and I've never lived around much park…um…er… well anyways…"

Miku's eyes shined solemnly as she recalled the situation.

"That was when I saw a very quiet girl sitting at this bench. At first I paid I didn't really c-care and would continue to make my way to cram school."

Her hands shook and she swallowed. She held her hands together to quell her nervousness. She saw the older girl was still and had yet to move from her tracks. Miku pondered how much time would she have before the girl disappeared again. Her words began to quicken until Miku mentally scolded herself to calm down.

"Bu-but…How do you say it? Over time, I was interested in what book this person was reading. I wanted to ask them why they were at the park every day. Why didn't they go to a library or…or…"

Miku finished tentatively,

"Or…why was it that before and after cram school I would see this girl every time, but she… no one…she never seemed to have anyone to speak with."

The pinkette's shoulders faintly tensed at Miku's last sentence, teal pools widening in response. Miku had been watching her for that long? She had noticed her…isolation. Luka had never paid attention to who was at the park, and the thought that someone was always watching her gave her mixed feelings of warmth and sadness. With her free hand, she clutched onto the fabric above her heart.

Miku realized she had said something wrong. Allowing her novel to slip onto the pavement, she abruptly stood up, her hands shaking back and forth furiously.

"Well! I'm-I'm..not a stalker! I swear! I-"

The tealette paused; she refused to render her speech to a stumbling fit. Taking a deep breath, Miku continued to stare at the older girl's back as she resumed.

"Well…well…that was when, I felt like talking…to…that girl…to you…Luka-san. I've always enjoyed our conversations even if they were just simple 'how are you's written on a notepad."

Miku balled her fist, this time her vision dropped down to the older girl's long caramel boots as she confessed. It was time for her to bring up the subject. She felt a wave of apprehension wash over her. The sinking feeling she had back then resurfaced. However, Miku decided she wasn't going to drown this time.

"Back then…" Miku noticed Luka's feet shift slightly at the words, however she continued.

"Back then…when you…answered my question, I…I wasn't sure how to respond."

Luka braced herself; she tightly gripped onto her bag. She considered the possible outcomes of the tealette's next words. Would Miku express her intense dislike? Or...

"I wasn't sure how to respond…without being inconsiderate." Miku started.

Luka's lips parted and she breathed deeply as she listened.

"I didn't want to just say 'oh that's fine; I don't mind' because it is something I should care about. You're…Luka-san…you taught me something very important about yourself."

With this, involuntary tears pooled around Miku's teal pupils. Her voice was still normal, yet it started to quiver a bit. Luka had noticed this and was tempted to turn around. Yet, she was held back by fear. There was still a barrier between the two.

"Despite not knowing what to do…I should've…I should've never just…walked away like that. That was the worst thing I could've ever done…"

Tears freely rolled down the soft cheeks of the young tealette. Tiny sobs resounded in the ears of the young women. Miku did not understand why or how she started crying. However, Miku gradually felt a faint sense of relief; a wave of calm and a strange happiness encompassed her as she expressed her feelings truthfully.

"But…but I really didn't know what to say. I…and in the end I chose the easy way out and ran away. I'm…"

_I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry...Luka, I'm so sorry..._

Tears continued to trail down the small porcelain features of the younger girl. At that time, Luka had turned around and was now listening with a combination of ache and sadness in her demeanor. The pinkette did not understand what was it that held her back before. Her heart ached seeing she brought pain upon the little girl before her. She wished to comfort her, but again that invisible barrier stopped her from advancing. She could only watch as the tealette's head was held down and observed the tiny droplets falling silently onto the ground, unheard by anyone else but her ears.

Glued to the sight of her own shoes, Miku detected faintly out of her perception another set of feet in front of her. Head perking up, the tealette's eyes widened as she found Luka was facing her. Gradually, she felt all her pent up emotions boiling well past her capacity. Her tears streamed down rapidly, and her vision blurred. Yet, she was still able to make out the fuzzy image of the silent pinkette in front of her. She wiped her tears with an arm and sniffled.

"Luka…Luka-san…"

_Finally, I can say these words to you…_

Miku wiped her tears again. Finally, teal emblazoned orbs were able to firmly gaze into ones tinged with an equal hue. Miku's lips quivered as she steadied herself before the pinkette. Her shoulder heaved from a short hyperventilation, and the tealette took shaking breaths in an attempt of quell it. She stared with tears pooling around her eyes. The tealette sniffled again.

"I-I know…I hurt you severely…and no amount of apologies could ever make up for it…but I am really sorry…and…and…"

Miku bowed deeply,

"Please…won't you be my friend!"

Miku mentally smacked herself in the head. Not knowing why she decided to say such a…such a…random line but held her mouth shut. She had wanted to ask for forgiveness not Luka's sudden hand in friendship. As she mentally berated herself as her tears ran out, the remaining droplets gradually drying on puffy peach cheeks and faintly swollen eyes. She waited patiently as she continued her deep bow.

Luka's heart warmed at Miku's request. She felt the pluck of a heartstring at the thought of having Miku as a friend. She was glad she had gained the courage to walk up to Miku…she never expected Miku to express such feelings to her. Never did she…really had someone who cared for her that much. Moreover, Miku didn't run away because she looked down on Luka…Miku ran away because she didn't want to say anything carelessly.

The older girl continued to stare at the younger girl as she continued her bow. Yet, slowly epiphany crept upon Luka.

_What…what should I do?_

The younger girl was still fervently bowing with deep vigor, and Luka was confident Miku would stay that way until she heard her reply. The keyword was 'heard.' However, Luka could not respond verbally. Getting out her notepad was also out of the question as the young girl would not be able to notice it in her bowed stance. And shoving the said notepad in front of the tealette's face was considered rude by normal standards—not to mention, Luka did not wish to startle the younger girl by tapping on her shoulder. None of the options deemed appropriate for the situation.

Her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

_This…is a bit troublesome..._

However, for now she got out her new extra-large tuna-drawing pad and tuna pen. Luka shifted in her position tentatively. She had the items ready in her hand now at least.

The two continued their weird standoff with Miku bowing deeply and Luka shifting around nervously, unsure of how to get the younger girl's attention. Passing pedestrians would raise their eyebrows and would mutter things under their breath.

Miku's ears perked up to the random phrases from the pedestrians. Her mind rolled around in confusion as she tried to process the meaning of the words.

"Is that older girl bullying her?"

"Oh gosh, bullying nowadays. That poor teal haired girl, just bowing in front of that other lady like that."

She repeated that phrase in her head. Slightly, she tilted her head in confusion in the midst of her bow. There was something weird in these sentences. Something wasn't clicking.

_Bullying…_

_Wait…bullying?_

Miku immediately jumped upright and babbled a quick "No!" However, that pedestrian was already long gone, and the only person to hear her outburst was a very startled Luka.

Miku's cheeks were tinged with rosy coral. She had made a fool of herself again. Then, her eyes widened at the notebook in Luka's hand and mentally smacked herself again.

_What's the use of bowing? All it did was bring her trouble…_

Miku mentally slapped herself with a neuron-leek. Her lips pursed subconsciously as she pouted at her own stupidity. She clenched her fists as she squeezed her eyes shut. A natural puff of red flushed her cheeks as she was filled with both embarrassment and self-directed anger.

Luka noted Miku's endlessly furrowing eyebrows and her intense flushing. Teal orbs of the older girl noted the subconscious pout of the younger girl and felt warmth in her heart again.

Teal orbs locked with another set of teal. The tealette's blush went up another notch as she tried to apologize once more…for many different things.

"I-I…I" Miku put a hand on her chest again as if to declare a statement. The younger girl noted a similar situation in the past, which had most likely resulted in a not-so-good-outcome…but she ignored that notion for the moment.

"I..bu-buh…" Miku flushed again, stuttering at each syllable. She mentally cursed at herself now. Her gaze ripped away momentarily as she took a deep breath before returning to the older girl.

Luka had noticed Miku's inner turmoil, and her lips tugged into a smile. She remembered a similar situation…this exact same thing happened when they first met. It was as if history was replayed, and their meeting was anew.

While her perception was glued to the pavement to cool her embarrassment, Miku discerned out of the corner of her eye that the figure before was shaking slightly.

Miku's panicked and looked up again. She must've offended Luka in some way. However, instead of an angry pinkette, she was met with Luka chuckling silently. Her shoulders shook as her hand went up to cover her silent laughter. Miku watched in awe at the girl. Not a sound had escaped from the older girl, but Miku felt the other girl's happiness seep into her very core, and she too, began to chuckle as well.

Soft laughter echoed in the vicinity of the girls as the park was now empty. Street lights flickered on and the buzzing and chirping of inserts hummed around the area. The sun which had dipped and transformed into a thin line, now reflected a gradient of intense magenta amongst a deepening purple. Yet, the two women kept chuckling, unbeknownst of the passing time. Their focus was solely on their joyful moment.

When their laughter died down, silence enveloped the two. For moments they both stood, enjoying the presence of the other. Yet, under Luka's gaze, Miku found herself playing with her hands timidly. However, she watched inquisitively as the pinkette began to write something down in her new notepad, lifting up the notepad well past her neck and hiding her features behind it.

Miku swallowed as Luka cautiously and carefully wrote something down. Finally, when Luka was finished, she lowered her notepad to her nose and thoughtfully peeked at Miku who jumped slightly at the sight. The pinkette's orbs reflected a shimmer of playfulness, which confused the smaller girl to no ends.

Then, gradually, lithe fingers turned the notepad over, and greenish-blue orbs widened. Baffled, she looked at Luka before quickly glimpsing at the notepad and then returned her gaze back to the older girl, not believing what she saw.

_"I would love to be friends."_

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><p><strong>AN (Abbrev. for: An overly extended and should be cut-short author's note):<strong> This chapter was pinnacle to their development, and by the Gods in Athens (or something), I hope I wrote this well. I rewrote it about five times, and I'm really glad I carried out the whole scenario. Still rusty, but I will try my best in the next chapter as well.

**More notes:** I think some of you might have been surprised or confused at how Miku acted in this chapter. The challenge to this was making you **believe** that this scenario could happen. I think people are geared to say "Oh, it's okay. I understand." Thus, one might have expected Miku to have done the same. At the least, I hope I conveyed a different possibility and its consequences.

**Final notes**: This pertains to the feedback I've received this past couple of weeks. I'm very much surprised to see readers have enjoyed this story. I expect to write my future chapters with added quality each time, to finally bringing you a climax and resolution you'll all hopefully fangirl/fanboy over for many days to come (pun).

**Now for review responses:**Since I couldn't reply to the Anon. Reviews, here are all my replies to my fellow anon reviewers:

**Sawc**: To write that scene, I pictured in my head that Miku would run away at first. But then I had to bring her "back" to the scene. Luckily, the scene wrote itself out and to me I felt Miku's actions were natural.

**Luka the Mute Singer**: I love Luka's songs the most. I especially adore the duets she does with Miku. It kind of pained me to make her mute, but I wanted to try something new. I wanted her disabled for this fanfic, and my friend suggested that youtube video to me.

**Mr . Kat**: I'm still pretty rusty, so the situation didn't play out as wonderfully as I had hoped. Hopefully there's not that much confusion in this chapter.

**Artemis**: I wanted an outgoing, normal Miku. I know she's famous for being pushy and hyper at times, but this version seemed to fit the story more. Luka…well it sucks that she can't speak, but when you think about the later chapters when…things get slightly more "intimate" it adds a new layer of excitement….ha.

**Verbal Essence**: I've exchanged words with you on AIM. Anyhow, I love your constructive yet nondemeaning reviews. I have a very little self-confidence, so if any review hurts my feelings at all, I tend to just stop writing, haha.

**Baddamobs**: I went through about 15 ideas before this one. All of them were good, except I didn't want readers to kill me because of the tragedies I had planned out. This one was much safer to write. I might publish them later on, though if I have time.

**Hayakira**: Hmm, if this is depressing…then you might bawl your eyes out later, haha. Or not…depends on how well I treat Luka in the future.

**Kikidon11**: Hehe, I'll try to update quickly after my midterms.

**LukaFan**: I'm glad you found Miku adorable. Anyhow, I'll let you picture this and by all means this is not a spoiler, just a consideration. Now, we all know Luka has an amazing voice. What if Miku was somehow able to hear a sample of what Luka used to sound like? How much would that "her voice makes me go to heaven" feeling amplify? Wanting something that could never be obtained could make someone go insane...

**Panties**: Your name makes me think of sky-blue and white stripes, but anyways…you're correct on the youtube video. I'm glad you've watched it before. What the video did was give me a spark, but everything else will be oh-so-different.

**Sunkist**: Heheh, only Miku can't hear her. We can still listen to Luka's songs while reading this chapter.

Thanks for reviewing once again, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.


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